BLink EQI Mini PC Review: A Budget Intel Core 3 304 System With Surprising IO

Introduction

The BLink EQI is a budget mini PC built around Intel’s new Wildcat Lake CPU, the Core 3 304. It is not the most powerful Intel chip on the market, but it brings a few surprises to the lower end of the mini PC lineup, including dual Thunderbolt 4 ports and a built-in power supply. This review looks at how the system handles everyday tasks, light gaming, and power efficiency.

Design and Ports

The BLink EQI keeps a compact rectangular chassis that fits easily on a desk or behind a monitor. Around the front, there is a full-size USB 3.2 port, a USB-C port, and a 3.5 mm audio jack. Around the back, the port selection is more interesting than most budget mini PCs.

You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports running at the 40 gig protocol, which is uncommon at this price level. There are also two USB 2.0 ports and dual LAN ports: one 2.5 gig and one 10 gig. A power jack sits on the rear panel because the unit has a built-in 85-W power supply, so there is no external brick to manage.

Inside the Chassis

Opening the BLink EQI is straightforward. Four screws release the bottom cover, giving access to the internal components. The built-in power supply sits on one side, and a single-slot SODIMM stick provides the RAM. The review unit came with 24 GB of DDR5 memory running at 5600 megatransfers per second.

Storage is handled by two M.2 SSD slots. The unit shipped with a 500-GB drive, and a second 2280 M.2 slot is available under a removable heat sink. Upgrading storage and memory is simple enough for most users.

Everyday Performance

The Core 3 304 has five cores and five threads: one performance core based on Cougar Cove architecture clocked up to 4.3 GHz, and four efficiency cores based on Darkmont architecture clocked up to 3.3 GHz. The integrated GPU is listed as Intel graphics, with a single Xe3 core clocked up to 2300 MHz.

In Geekbench 7, the Core 3 304 scored 2,150 single-core and 5,685 multi-core. That comfortably beats the older Intel N305, which scores around 1,225 single-core, and the very low-end N150, which comes in near 1,000 single-core. In 3DMark Fire Strike, the system scored 1,948, ahead of the N305 at 1,524.

For everyday tasks, the system feels snappy. Email, document editing, web browsing, and even 4K video playback all run smoothly. The unit handled 4K 60 video playback without dropped frames, and it did not slow down even while downloading large games from Steam.

Gaming Performance

The BLink EQI was never marketed as a gaming machine, and the single Xe3 core is not going to challenge dedicated gaming hardware. Still, lighter titles run well. Left 4 Dead 2 at 1080p medium settings averaged over 100 FPS, and could likely stretch to high settings.

Heavier games require compromises. Project CARS 2 at 900p low settings struggled to hold 60 FPS, though dropping to 720p brought the average up to around 68 FPS. Skyrim at 900p medium still saw dips under 60 FPS.

Cyberpunk 2077 was the toughest test. At 720p low settings, the system could not hold 60 FPS on its own. Enabling XeSS frame generation at 2x pushed it over 60 FPS, which is impressive for a single-core Xe3 iGPU, though the generated frames were not always stable. The 25-W power envelope was enough to max out the CPU cores and iGPU clocks during the test.

Power Consumption

Power draw is one of the strongest points for this mini PC. At idle, the system pulls just 4 watts from the wall in Windows performance mode. During 4K video playback, consumption rises to around 7 watts. Under AAA gaming loads, the total draw stays near 32 watts.

For anyone paying high energy rates, leaving this unit running around the clock would not add much to the electricity bill. The low power consumption makes it a practical choice for always-on use cases like a home server or a dedicated media player.

Buying Advice

The BLink EQI makes sense for users who need a compact, low-power desktop for everyday computing, media playback, and light productivity. The dual Thunderbolt 4 ports and 10 gig LAN are rare finds at this price point, and the built-in power supply removes cable clutter. The system handles up to 64 GB of DDR5 RAM and offers two M.2 slots for storage expansion.

Gamers should look elsewhere unless they stick to older or lighter titles. The integrated GPU is capable but limited, and even with frame generation, modern AAA games require significant compromises. The lack of an external power brick and the efficient power draw are the standout features here.

Conclusion

The BLink EQI is a well-rounded budget mini PC that delivers solid everyday performance, an unusually strong port selection, and excellent power efficiency. It is not a gaming machine, but for general computing, media playback, and light productivity, it is a capable and practical option. The Core 3 304 shows that even Intel’s lower-end chips can offer meaningful improvements over previous generations.